Bears’ Rachal leaves team for personal reasons

If fifth-year offensive lineman Chilo Rachal has played his last game with the Bears, it will be memorable for all of the wrong reasons.

Rachal, 26, left the Bears because of personal reasons Wednesday and was placed on the team’s reserve/left squad list. He was replaced on the 53-man roster by rookie offensive lineman James Brown, who spent 11 weeks on the Bears’ practice squad.

Although the Bears did not provide a specific rea-son as to why Rachal left the team, one published report said he was upset after learning that he was demoted behind Chris Spencer after starting the past eight games at left guard. Rachal struggled badly against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday, when he was penalized twice for holding and tried to fling a ball out of the end zone but was ruled down for a safety.

Spencer, 30, is no stranger to the Bears’ starting lineup. He started 14 games at right guard last season and two games at left guard this season before he lost his job to Rachal in Week 3 against St. Louis.

Brown, an undrafted rookie from Troy, impressed coaches during training camp but was assigned to the practice squad after failing to make the 53-man roster. He will provide depth at tackle, where J’Marcus Webb and Gabe Carimi also struggled badly against the 49ers and could be in danger of losing playing time.